


Bloom

by iwillwalk500miles



Series: Iterum (again & again & again & again) [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Annie Leonhart-centric, Canon Compliant, Character Death, Everyone Is Alive, Everyone is Dead, Gen, Mikasa Ackerman & Eren Yeager Are Siblings, Mikasa Ackerman-centric, Minor Armin Arlert/Eren Yeager, Post-Canon, Pre-Slash, Reincarnation, i just had a lot of feelings about these two and also an existential crisis, it's kind of complicated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-03 11:20:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21178562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwillwalk500miles/pseuds/iwillwalk500miles
Summary: Annie Leonhardt dies incased in crystalized titan skin. What comes after is a purple meadow, with an ambiguous immortal nicknamed 'The Stranger,' and the decision to find a new life.





	1. HOW IT BEGINS

**Author's Note:**

> did I mention I had an existential crisis? Well I had an existential crisis...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a brief introduction to the universe

"_Annie, fall._" It always ends like that. _ Always always always-- _though nobody could tell quite why. Blue eyes blink, shuttering and flickering with an emotion alien and unknown. The large creature (read: monster) is suspended in the air, and for a brief second it feels like rebirth; flight and weightlessness. Falling is such a relief, it knocks over the stacked burdens of her shoulders, obliterating any thoughts in her mind. She is nothing and no one, everything and everyone all at once. It's mystifying, she thinks as Eren roars on top of her, how she had known it was going to end like this from the second Armin had mentioned being a bad person. It's odd that she didn't try and do anything about it, the way they so obviously watched her; a bomb with a timer nobody could see.

The monster's too large mouth opens and closes, forms words around a too big tongue and too big (read: sharp) teeth. She sees a flash of red, and wonders if that is her blood or the material of Mikasa's scarf. It doesn't matter, she decided, pushing at Eren's face; getting him away from her. Why is she still fighting? She wonders, why does she want to live? Two faces flash in her mind, her father and the person who had sliced her fingers from the wall; disgust marring a usually emotionless face.

But still, she thinks of her father first. She thinks of his hands, steadying and strong; adjusting her body as he taught her to fight. She thinks of him, thinks of his hidden tears, his fingers digging into her bony shoulders as he suddenly begs her to return-- to live, come back, he said, come back to me.

It's too bad she isn't going to be able to. Eren slams her head into the ground, and suddenly she knows what she has to do. It creeps of her body and onto his like a sickness, slithering and encasing the both of them; _ stop, stop, stop, stop it-! _She blacks out before she can see what happens next.

What follows is strange. She dreams. Of Mikasa Ackerman, of her father, of Reiner and Bertholdt-- and even more curious, she dreams of the frustration of strangers. They yell, kick, and scream; and she does nothing, because why bother? Why would she ever leave this dream, leave the safety of never knowing, of never having to see what horror she'd played a part in? It feels like ages before she opens her eyes.

"Oh?" A voice says, "You're finally here." She turns and turns, surrounded in a field of purple flowers she doesn't know the names of, in front of a dark blue odd tree with leaves that match the meadow they stand in. Before her suddenly, is a person that she's never seen before. "You're _ late _ you know," The Stranger chastised, "You were supposed to come in right _ after _ you became crystallized."

She says nothing in response, only staring. She looks down at her hands, and is startled to find them tiny and uncalloused, attached to too skinny arms and bony shoulders. Annie tries to feel for her face, and comes to the terrifying conclusion that she is in a _ child's body_. Worry and fear swallow her in a tide of emotion, nearly sending her sprawling onto the grass. Annie doesn't know where she is, doesn't know what's happening, doesn't know why she's suddenly ten again, and she doesn't know why this person is taking to her like they're old friends. She tries to examine them, tries to tie the frizzy brown ponytail, dark skin, and milky opaque eyes to someone she might know; but comes up with nothing.

"Oh!" The Stranger laughs. "You don't remember, do you?" They laugh, full and loud and with something that Annie hasn't ever heard before. "I suppose that's to be expected, you aren't supposed to come here alone." The Stranger brushes the hair out of their face. "Honestly, the two of you are the most stubborn souls I've ever met; why you're bound with each other is one of the biggest mysteries of the universe."

Annie looks around again, watching the way the flowers brush against her hoodie, watching as the sky remains blue; a perfect day for cloud watching. "I think you have the wrong person." She decided.

"You're really abysmal at telling lies." The Stranger says, amusement in their odd eyes. "Even when you don't know you're doing it."

Annie doesn't know how to respond to that, so she doesn't, slipping her hands into her hoodie instead. The air smells like lilac and earth, musky and cold all at once. A harsh feeling of familiarity washes over her, knocking her overboard from her own ship spent navigating the violent waves emotion. It's enough to make her hands tremble, hidden in her hoodie pocket. "Will you answer me honestly if I ask you a question?" Annie asked finally.

The Stranger winked. "Guess you'll just have to find out." She doesn't like the way they watch her, amused and slightly condescending, like they're watching a child set themselves up for an obvious failure.

"Why do you keep talking to me like you know me?" Annie doesn't physically show her confusion, a frown does not slip onto her features; yet she feels exposed all the same. Was this how it was? She wondered listlessly, was this how it was to feel vulnerable? She couldn't quite find herself becoming a fan of it, the emotion that swallowed her up and spun her around; the thoughts in her mind jeering and pointing like cruel children.

"It's because I _ do _ know you." The Stranger says. "I know everybody, I know your friends and your family and your enemies, I know your ancestors and descendants, I know everyone who ever has and will be born." They smile, and it looks too big for their face. "I know your soul, Annie Leonhardt." 

She doesn't quite know what to say to that. It must show on her face because they begin to laugh, loud and entirely ethereal. "Don't patronize me." Annie snaps back at them, blue eyes shining in the chill of her anger. "Don't give me riddles and expect immediate understanding."

The Stranger stops suddenly, mirth frozen on their smooth and angular features. It's almost as though time has stilled, because nobody makes any movement or sound. For a moment, Annie thinks that something had gone wrong, because the wind isn't filtering through the purple flowers anymore. 

"Say, Annie." They speak, honeyed words far too sweet to be real. "I really liked your old incarnation better than this one." Just like that, everything is back to the way it was-- flowers dancing in the meadow, breeze pushing blonde hair up her forehead and out of her eyes. The Stranger clasps their hands together, gesturing for Annie to come join them by the tall dark tree they stand under. "Then again, that's probably because she wasn't emotionally manipulated into becoming a murderer at sixteen." 

At the stricken look on her face, The Stranger laughs once more. "Don't worry darling, none of that affects you here." They opened their arms, gesturing to the tree and the meadow and the sky, "None of this is real, after all." 

"It feels real." Annie blurts, the words slipping out from under her indifferent mask. "I can smell and touch and see." She lets herself look around once more, examining the atmosphere around her with a wistful look in her eyes. "It feels like home, though I know I don't have one."

The Stranger watches her with shrewd opaque eyes. "Though you forget every encounter--" They whisper, "Your response to my words is always the same." They close their eyes, lashes fluttering-- and suddenly a too intimate look of sorrow mixed with fondness is on their face. "Every time, just before you leave, I beg you to find someone; _ something _ you love... I'm sorry to say that you never do." They laugh, suddenly bitter. "Well, that isn't entirely true, it's more like you never get to _ have _ it."

Annie said nothing, and looked away, uncomfortable by the profound sense of sadness and exhaustion on The Stranger's seemingly young face. "What's your name?" She asked after a moment. "Can I know it?" When she got no response, she looked up again, still hesitant to look them in the eyes. "I can't just keep referring to you as 'The Stranger' can I?"

The Stranger smiled. "That doesn't change either, what you call me." They sigh, wistful melancholy painted across their face when the breath from their lips kisses the air. "I have a name, believe me, but you'll never be able to hear it-- and even if by some miracle your soul picked up on the song, you'd never be able to say or understand it." The Stranger smiled. "But I will give you enough information to decide on my name, all on your own." 

Annie clenched her jaw, grinding her teeth down. "Fine." She mumbled stiffly. "Can I ask why I feel like a ten year-old."

Their smile grew, and they allowed themselves a brief moment to take a breath, lowering themselves down to the ground and sitting at the base of the odd tree. "Join me, will you?" Ignoring her question in favor of gesturing her forward. The look of pure _ disbelief _ on Annie's face was enough to make The Stranger snicker. They patted the spot in the grass next to them, doing their best to smile encouragingly. "You have to sit here and wait for her anyway, might as well do it with some company."

She grudgingly complied, though she was careful to give The Stranger some space. "Tell me what you want to tell me." Annie mumbled.

"Well, I suppose we'll start with why you're here." The Stranger began, leaning back against the odd tree and placing a finger to their chin. "To put it quite bluntly, you died." They looked back, eyes sparkling and vaguely apologetic. "And now you're here," They gestured to the field, "In your meadow." 

"Oh." She said. "I'm dead." Annie looked down at her hands, pressing them both to her chest; looking for a heartbeat. She found none. "This is such a drag." She grumbled, looking back at The Stranger, "You said this is my meadow?"

"Yes." They replied excitedly, before pausing. "Well, it's half yours, anyway." 

"Half?" Annie glared down at her feet, momentarily surprised to find herself barefoot. "Who else does it belong to?" She didn't know if she believed anything The Stranger was saying, but on the off chance that she was actually, you know, dead; she'd rather not have to spend her afterlife in what would soon turn in to hell with someone she didn't know.

"She'll be here soon." The Stranger said amicably. "I imagine _ this _ reunion will be quite messy, as they most of the time are." They sighed. "I guess this time it's a little unique, seeing how you arrived before she did... it must have been _ really _ bad." The Stranger wrapped their arms around their knees, looking like a sullen child, "I hate how you two argue and argue and _ argue_; enough to make me wish I'd never been created, sometimes."

Annie glowered, mumbling something about stupid people under her breath. Eventually she rubbed at her face with her hands (tinier than she was used to) and looked back at The Stranger. "So I'm dead, then?" She asked quietly, "I thought I'd be in hell by now."

That _ is _ where the monsters went, after all. Not that it really bothered her, sure she didn't fancy living an eternity being tortured, but she had made peace with the fact that she was a monster (read: a titan) long ago; just after Shiganshina. Briefly, she wondered what would happen to Bertholdt and Reiner, would they be given the same treatment as her? Talked to by an ambiguous entity that delighted itself by speaking in riddles?

"Oh, you aren't going there. It's a dreadful place, really." The Stranger said breezily, as if commenting on the weather or asking for a snack. "You're a special case, you see, you can't physically go into an afterlife, whether it be heaven, hell, the underworld; It's whatever you believe in, usually." They explained. "Only sometimes, after their first life, instead of going to their _ beyond_\--" The Stranger rolled their eyes at the word, "--they ask to be reborn."

"Is that what I am, then?" Annie asked. "One of the people who were reborn?"

"No." The Stranger said, "No, see, I told you that you were special; and being reborn isn't exactly uncommon." They leaned back into the trunk of the odd tree. "Sure, it doesn't happen as much as joining an afterlife, but it still happens a lot." A sigh escaped their dark brown lips, "It's exhausting, having to navigate so many different souls from so many different worlds... imagine it? The population of humanity on your world, only a million times bigger than a million times that."

"What does that mean?" Annie asked, frustration beginning to furrow her brow. 

"It just means you're different." The Stranger laughed. "It isn't hard to understand if you think small; imagine a person who has just died, now if they've lived a relatively decent life then they get to choose their religion's afterlife-- or if they don't want to go there or don't believe in anything they can be reborn, have their soul wiped clean of any and all purities and impurities, a scale that could fall in either direction as they're created again."

"But... I'm not like that." Annie said slowly. 

"No, not really." The Stranger explained. "You're an iterum." 

Cool wind blew at the two of their heads, blonde hair falling into Annie's eyes and thick curls billowing in the sudden breeze. She had to resist the urge to scowl, instead drawing up the hood of her sweatshirt and using it to protect her head.

"Iterum?" She asked, drawing her pointy knees to her chest.

"Yeah!" The Stranger cheered. "I call everyone who does what you do an Iterum, because it's fitting, don't you think? It's Latin for 'again,' you know; and human people are always drawing on that language to make up names for things, so I thought I'd give a try." They shrugged. "Basically you reincarnate." 

Annie didn't bother to hide her glare, this time. "Isn't that the same as being reborn?"

"Nah," The Stranger dismissed, "Reborn souls are wiped clean, essentially becoming new ones-- you're apart of the group of people who can't be scrubbed permanently." They explained. "Someone who is reborn gets sent into a random place, and everything is always different, different life, different name, different body, different time, different world--" The Stranger smiled, "--someone like you on the other hand, has only like _one _thing in common with them."

"Are you going to tell me what the difference?" She rolled her eyes.

"Yup!" The Stranger grinned, showing off freakishly white teeth. "Your name will always be Annie Leonhardt, you will always have a father who teaches you how to overcome physical pain, always have your close friends, you will always look the way you look, talk the way you talk, be the same person you are." Their eyes grew softer for a moment. "The only thing that changes is the world you grow in--" The Stranger placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her gently and pointing to where another little girl had suddenly appeared, "--and your relationship with her."

Annie hadn't been able to recognize her at first, because like herself the other girl had been reverted into the body of a child. She was still wearing her iconic red scarf, but she wore a pale pink dress with a purple cardigan, and her hair was _ long_. Like Annie, she was barefoot. Standing in the meadow, was none other than Mikasa Ackerman. 

She was looking right at them, frowning.

Annie's eyes slowly widened. "Is that...?"

"The one and only." The Stranger sighed, standing up, "Come one, let's go greet her."

"I don't--" A sudden inexplicable fear overcame her rational thought, it wasn't like before where the only thing she had to be afraid of was an existential crisis. Now it was the knowledge that she may soon be ripped to pieces. "I..." She winced when The Stranger kneeled down, placing warm brown hands on her tiny shoulder.

"Come now, Annie Leonhardt." They helped her stand, face more solemn and serious than before. "It's time to meet your destiny." The Stranger took her hand, carefully weaving in and around the purple flowers, as if they did not want to crush them. The two of them reached Mikasa in no time at all, though every step Annie had taken forward felt like an eternity.

"Hello." The Stranger greeted kindly. "I believe you two know each other?" 

Mikasa watched Annie, her dark eyes not leaving cold blue ones. "No." Mikasa says slowly. It's the first word that she has said, and it is loaded with something that Annie can't recognize. Mikasa looks around, movement slow, and takes in the area that surrounds them. Finally, her frigid gaze falls onto The Stranger, who watches her curiously.

"No?" The Stranger asked, smiling slightly. "That's too bad." They tug Annie away from Mikasa, gently drawing her closer. "Come now, Annie. There's much to discuss, I wonder what world we can send you next? Do you like dragons...? Oh wait you don't know what dragons are, my bad."

"I know what a dragon is." Annie protested, "Big lizard thing with fire breath." She pretended not to see the other girl glance at her.

"Oh, right!" The Stranger laughed. "It's _ Mikasa _ who doesn't know what a dragon is! We better go find her, I imagine they didn't have the literature you grew up on inside the walls and she might like to know about them." They nudge Annie gently, opaque eyes sparkling. "Do you know what a Dinosaur is? Or a wooly mammoth, maybe? No? That's okay, come with me and I can show you." 

"Wait." A cool voice cuts through the conversation. 

The Stranger winks at Annie conspiratorially. "Yes?"

"Why were you looking for me?" Mikasa tugged on her scarf, using it to hide the bottom half of her face. 

"Oh." The Stranger pouted. "You lied to me when you said you didn't know her." They gestured to Annie. "Why? Did little lion heart over here kill all of your friends or something?"

"Some of them." Mikasa stated. "What's a lion?"

The Stranger let go of Annie's hand, letting loose a full and jubilant laugh. They wiped a tear from their eye, grinning broadly at the two girls. "So that's why the two of you got here late? Annie killed a couple people?" They sighed. "How horrible." 

"That isn't all I did." Annie said, blank expression on her face not faltering. "I'm monstrous." She shrugged, shoving her hands into her hoodie pocket. "Though you already knew that, if everything you told me before was true."

"Mhmm." The Stranger sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have let you into that new world, but it was Eren and Armin's turn to pick, so I couldn't say no to them." They ran a hand through their thick curls, being careful not to catch their fingers in a knot. "Honestly, those boys, they never learn."

"Eren?" Mikasa asked, a sudden urgency in her voice. "He's alive?"

"Not quite." The Stranger laughed, "I forgot, you haven't seen him in quite some time, have you?" They smiled down at her, a little indulgent. "We can go visit him in a bit, if you like, I just have to finish explaining everything to the two of you."

Mikasa nodded, cheeks flushing slightly.

"So they're like me, then?" Annie asked, not quite sure how she felt about that. 

"Yup, and it's your turn to choose the next world." They said. "You can't really pick a specific world, or anything, but give me a couple of key words and I'll pluck one to send you to."

Annie furrowed her brow, the closest she ever got to being obviously emotional. This time it was in confusion. "How did we end up in the last life, then? Don't tell me Yeager asked for giant human cannibals?" She finished with a scoff. She didn't really like that she had gone through all that suffering just because some idiot stumbled on his words.

"Shut up, Annie." Mikasa retorted flatly.

"Well..." The Stranger started, laughing a little sheepishly. "Eren asked for a life with a clear goal before Armin could actually say anything beneficial."

"And you just threw us into the worst one you could possibly find?" Annie sneered a little. "Stranger, what the fuck?" How could they have just sent them into those lives, how could they allow that much suffering to exist?

"Sticking to 'The Stranger' then, Annie?" They asked with a soft smile, taking a flower from the meadow and bringing it up their nose. "Some things never change." The Stranger sighed, fondness painted onto their features. "I'm not God, child. I can't just send you into a world where life is perfect and lovely, where you meet people and love them; I can't send you to heaven." They slipped the purple plant behind Annie's ear. "I have a job to do, send souls forward, wherever direction that may be. Just because I like the Iterum doesn't mean I get to choose what happens to them." 

"Is that why there are so little of us?" Annie asked. "Because we can't go to an afterlife?"

"No, darling." The Stranger cooed softly. "Your souls are cursed, doomed to walk endless planets without a moments rest." They took her hand, gesturing for Mikasa to follow them back to the odd tree. When all three of them were seated underneath the purple leaves, The Stranger rubbed circles into Annie and Mikasa's palms. "In order to soothe your hurt, I came up with a solution that allowed you to meet in real life... only, the relationship between the others was always up to you." They whispered. "As long as you were drawn to the other person, things would be fine, your souls would have a much needed moment of rest; even if the relationship between you was pure hatred."

"But something went wrong, this last time." Annie stated. "Didn't it?" She could feel the wrongness of the past life even in the meadow.

"I cannot say." The Stranger said honestly. "It felt wrong, it felt bad, but some lives must be spent this way, for the next ones to be happy." They look right into Annie's eyes then, causing a shiver to run down her spine. "Though, I believe I told you this, yours are never happy."

"What about mine?" Mikasa asked, the first question she asked after addressing Annie. "Are mine... happy?" For a horrible moment, it seemed as though The Stranger was about to tell them that, no, neither of their lives were spent with much joy.

"Half of the time." They admitted, turning to face Mikasa. "The only anomaly here is her." They gesture to Annie. The Stranger lets out a tired sigh, "I always try something to change it, the means in which your soul returns you; but it is no use..." They look devastatingly sad, suddenly. "You always die young, little lion heart."

"You said that every time, just before I leave, you beg me to find something I love, and to hold onto it." Annie said, understanding suddenly. "And you said I never do, no matter how hard you try-- you said I was different." She drew her knees to her chest. "You always fail, no matter what you do..." She whispered softly, "Even though I've been bound to someone I'll always be drawn to."

"Quite right." The Stranger added. "I'm sorry to say you haven't had one happy life, even after all those tries." 

Annie leaned back against the truck of the odd tree. "Sucks to be me, I guess." She knew that her expression remained indifferent, her body loose and relaxed, but in truth the sudden and overwhelming amount of pure anguish swarmed her. She shut her eyes, "I think I'll take a nap now, give some time for you and Mikasa to talk it out."

"Sleep, then." The Stranger carefully, pushed the hood back down to her shoulders, brushing the blonde hair from Annie's forehead. "I'll protect you, for now."

"Okay." She breathed softly, "Thank you, Stranger."

They hummed, pressing a finger to her forehead, a spark of warmth from the tip of their nail settled into Annie's consciousness, and without further preamble, she fell asleep.


	2. HOW IT ENDS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa thinks that dying is terrible, but dealing with Annie Leonhardt is way worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay!! more existential bullshit!!!

> _PREVIOUSLY:_
> 
> _"You said that every time, just before I leave, you beg me to find something I love, and to hold onto it." Annie said, understanding suddenly. "And you said I never do, no matter how hard you try-- you said I was different." She drew her knees to her chest. "You always fail, no matter what you do..." She whispered softly, "Even though I've been bound to someone I'll always be drawn to."_
> 
> _"Quite right." The Stranger added. "I'm sorry to say you haven't had one happy life, even after all those tries." _
> 
> _Annie leaned back against the truck of the odd tree. "Sucks to be me, I guess." She knew that her expression remained indifferent, her body loose and relaxed, but in truth the sudden and overwhelming amount of pure anguish swarmed her. She shut her eyes, "I think I'll take a nap now, give some time for you and Mikasa to talk it out."_
> 
> _"Sleep, then." The Stranger carefully, pushed the hood back down to her shoulders, brushing the blonde hair from Annie's forehead. "I'll protect you, for now."_
> 
> _"Okay." She breathed softly, "Thank you, Stranger."_
> 
> _They hummed, pressing a finger to her forehead, a spark of warmth from the tip of their nail settled into Annie's consciousness, and without further preamble, she fell asleep._

When Mikasa Ackerman opens her eyes, she finds herself in a meadow filled with Verbena and Lavender flowers. She allows her fingers to brush the petals, her fingers kissing the small plants softness. She's never seen a field quite like this before. Everything is an array of color, blue and violet and green, wrapping around her shoulders like the scarf she wears. It's strange, she lifted her fingers, pressing them against the scratchy material, she'd long ago left it behind. She glances down at her hands, and freezes, examining the small and delicate pieces of her body. That's not how they were supposed to look.

Mikasa glanced upwards, trying her best to gain her bearings. What was the best course of action in this situation? How could she make sure she made it out alive-? Any and all thought fades away when she sees two distinct figures standing below an old dark blue tree. (She's never seen blue wood before, sure it's so shaded it nearly looks black, but her eyes were good when it came to picking up colors.) One is an adult, frizzy chestnut hair falling in rings around their shoulders, dark brown skin dark brown skin exposed to the light that bleeds through the leaves, and even from as far away as she was she could already see the uniqueness of their eyes. Mikasa wondered if they were blind.

She feels herself frown, watching as the person grabbed the hand of the other figure, a blonde child she'd yet to see the face of. The person had a warm smile, entirely too inviting and calm. It was as if they had been rinsed in something divine, enticing and revolting all at once. An angel, she thinks as the person walks forward. A demon, she resolved herself as they drag a smaller figure forward. Mikasa tensed as they moved, preparing herself for any situation she could think of.

Unfortunately for her, seeing ten year-old Annie Leonhardt wasn't something she would have thought to prepare for. Perhaps she should have expected this, she's gone through horrors barely imaginable, surely she could have seen this tiny child coming. Only, Mikasa hadn't, as a matter of fact-- she had no clue where she stood and where she was. She had no idea who this stranger is and why they choose to hold onto Annie's hand like it's something precious. The strange person's smile does not waver, even as Mikasa finds her eyes glued to ice blue counterparts.

The child in front of her is so _small_, almost heartbreakingly tiny-- how can this adorable little girl turn to the monstrosity that Mikasa knows? Except she knows from Reiner and Bertholdt that Annie had been training for the Warriors program her entire life, and then was sent away at ten. So if Annie (the little one, still looking at her) was in a mindset younger than ten, would she be as ruthless as she is at sixteen? A breeze flows through the meadow, blowing her scarf sideways. Annie blinks for a moment, the hood of her sweatshirt draws back the slightest, but not enough to pull it down from her head. 

White blonde hair falls into one of her ice blue eyes, and she absentmindedly moves her hand to tuck it away. 

The gesture is so familiar that Mikasa almost doubles over, if there was any doubt that the little girl in front of her was Annie Leonhardt, it fades with a single gesture. She allows herself to look a little closer, now, taking in the wispy white blonde hair, the hooked nose and pointy chin, the downward curve of Annie's lips. She... she looked so _young_, so childlike it almost hurt. The boredom was still there, the coolness in her expression, but there was a fundamental softness to Annie's face that screamed youth.

"Hello." The Stranger greets, and their voice is like something out of a poem, honeyed and sugary and _far_ too sweet. "I believe you two know each other?" They ask, though it doesn't really sound like a question, more an observation than anything else.

Mikasa doesn't care though, so she slowly answers. "No." Her eyes don't leave Annie's, sharp and blue. For a second, she allows her gaze to bore into the other girl's, before she slowly looks away. Mikasa studies the meadow she stands in once more, breathing in the scent of the flowers and wind. Finally, her eyes fall onto The Stranger. There's a curiosity on their face that makes her immediately suspicious.

"No?" The Stranger asked, smiling slightly. "That's too bad." They tug Annie away from Mikasa, gently drawing her closer. "Come now, Annie. There's much to discuss, I wonder what world we can send you next? Do you like dragons...? Oh wait you don't know what dragons are, my bad." At the mention of something called a 'dragon' Mikasa perks up, eyeing the two people in front of her with thinly veiled interest.

"I know what a dragon is." Annie said, the first thing that Mikasa hears her say, "Big lizard thing with fire breath." She blinks, glancing at Annie once more. She knew what a dragon was? Worst of all, a fire breathing lizard? Had she seen them before?

"Oh, right!" The Stranger laughed. "It's _ Mikasa _ who doesn't know what a dragon is! We better go find her, I imagine they didn't have the literature you grew up on inside the walls and she might like to know about them." They nudge Annie gently, opaque eyes sparkling. "Do you know what a Dinosaur is? Or a woolly mammoth, maybe? No? That's okay, come with me and I can show you."

Mikasa adjusts her scarf, chewing on her lip. Why was this person looking for her, and why did they have Annie with them? None of this made any _sense_. She was going to have to do something, she realized when the two started to turn away, she was going to have to talk to them. "Wait." Her voice cuts through the atmosphere like a knife, sharp and deadly. 

The Stranger turns back, "Yes?"

Mikasa tugged on her scarf again, hiding some of her face. "Why are you looking for me?"

A smile, and Mikasa's entire grip on the word changes. 

Annie and The Stranger talk a lot. She realizes a couple minutes in. Annie has a truly endless amount of questions and The Stranger has no problem explaining everything to her. It's clear that they had been half way through their conversation when Mikasa had appeared, still she picks up on what they speak of rather quickly. She's dead, which she had already known, there was no way that she would have come out of her situation alive. Still, she finds herself pressing fingers to her pulse point, finding nothing. Mikasa thinks of Eren, then, thinks of the green of her brother's eyes and his blinding broad smile. She barely stops a sigh from escaping her lips, leaning her head back against the tree as The Stranger reveals that Annie always dies young, and wonders if he is the same. But, she cannot quite keep her curiosity hidden for long when The Stranger tells them that Annie has never had a happy life.

All Mikasa can think is: _good_.

Though there is something about the way The Stranger talks about it, on the verge of weeping, that makes Mikasa take another moment to think about Annie Leonhardt, and the endless amount of tragedies that follow her wherever she goes. When Annie closes her eyes to sleep, Mikasa already as a million questions ready. She takes a minute to organize her thoughts, however, and absentmindedly watches The Stranger play with Annie's hair. Her dark eyes inadvertently glance to the sleeping girl, taking in her features one at a time, committing all of them to memory. She _hates_ her, she knows this, knows this like she knows that she loves Eren. But something had changed after all these years, Mikasa didn't hate her as much as once did. Perhaps this is because now she has all the information, has all the reasons that Annie could have used to justify her actions. Mikasa has everything, and Annie... Annie has almost _nothing_.

Still, understanding does not stop the burning dislike she feels when blue eyes meet hers.

"Did you have any questions?" The Stranger asked, voice soft. They continue combing their fingers through Annie's hair, white blonde locks contrasting against a dark brown hand. "I'm sorry I haven't really talked to you much, but..." They sighed, "It's rare that a couple comes back at different times. I mean _sure_, they can die so many years apart from each other, but it usually doesn't change the fact that they come in _together_." The Stranger looked down at Annie, curled up in their lap. "It must have been traumatic, her death."

Mikasa thinks of two titans, black and white haired fighting and fighting and fighting. She remembers cutting off Annie's fingers, remembers the oddly human look in her eyes when she had told her to fall. "You said it didn't matter what relationship we had," She pointed out, "Annie betrayed us, I helped incapacitate her, there's nothing else to it."

The Stranger sighed, lifting one of their hands to pinch the bridge of their nose. "I lied."

Mikasa's head snapped upward. "I must have misheard you." She stated coldly. Why hadn't she seen it coming? A strange person in a strange meadow sitting under a strange tree telling her that she's _different_, that should have sent every single one of her instincts haywire. But it hadn't happened, not for a second did Mikasa think that The Stranger had been lying. She had been skeptical, of course, but had simply drawn the conclusion that The Stranger believed every single word they were saying, even if Mikasa herself had been hesitant to take their words seriously. She gripped at her scarf, suddenly overwhelmed, what had happened to her? What had altered her mindset to cause her to feel at ease in their company?

"I'm sorry." The Strange whispered. "But I couldn't bear to break her heart any further." They smiled. "You would have said the same, once." 

Mikasa had to fight the urge to wholeheartedly disagree. What were they thinking, telling her something like that? Sparing Annie of pain, _please_, there was a time where Mikasa would have happily _caused_ it. She thought back, back before she was revealed the female titan, before she let the realization sour every memory she'd ever had with her. Was there a time where she would have... cared for her? _Yes_, she knows suddenly, remembering Annie's wide smile laughing so hard she scared every one of their roommates. But would she had lied to Annie, would she have tried to divert some of her pain for her? _No_. No she wouldn't have. Mikasa knew what they were, the two of them. Monsters. And unlike everyone around them, they had been unashamed to admit it. She wouldn't have cared if Annie was emotionally troubled, and that was just how it is.

"I think you're wrong." Mikasa mumbled, readjusting her scarf. "I don't care much for the well-being of her heart, and I never could have." She only had room in her heart for her brother, she could barely love Armin, at times.

"I didn't mean in this life." The Stranger swallowed, leaning their head back against the wood of the odd tree. "You've cared for her before, you know, though it was never as much as she felt for you." The sadness in their voice was apparent, obvious and overwhelming. Tears gathered in their opaque eyes. "She always loves you, one way or another... and she always dies, just before she realizes it."

"What?" Mikasa frowned. The Stranger stayed silent, wiping their tears away, gently brushing Annie's hair back. It was one of the first times that Mikasa had seen her without hair hiding a part of her face, sure she'd brush back a bit when fighting to help her see better, but... this was different, somehow. The picture was softer, less influenced by anger or the desire to fight. It was different, because Annie's face wasn't impassive or bored, it simply _was_\-- She looked almost kind, like this.

"Every life she's lived," They start, "Every single one I've given her, she loves you, she loves you, she loves you-- and the second before she dies, she knows it." The Stranger smiles, wistful and bitter at the same time. "It's disappointing, to say the least." They sniffle, rubbing at their nose. "And it's entirely unfair."

Mikasa started, unsure how to handle the fact that an immortal being was sitting in front of her, complaining about how bad life was. "Why do you care?" She frowned. "You deal with billions of souls, billions of different people with different tragedies, why do you care so much just for _her_?" What had Annie done to make this person love her this way?

The Stranger laughed, the sound full of something she couldn't quite make sense of. "I care for you just as much as I do her." They smile, "I care for all of the Iterum like they are my own children." The Stranger looked at her then, flicking the bridge of her nose. "Because in a way, you all are."

"What?" Mikasa asked, recoiling from the obvious laughter in The Stranger's opaque eyes. She can't find the humor in their words, doesn't understand why they think that it's proper to laugh at her question.

"The Iterum are very dear to me." The Stranger whispers, smiling a little. "I can't tell you the entire thing, but one of the reasons I love you all so much is because you're the only ones who ever remember me." They gently poke the tip of Mikasa's nose, "Though, when two come in at different times, there's no hope for recovering the memories of your past lives until you die again... It kind of sucks, this happening two times in a row."

Mikasa sighed out loud, not bothering to hide the frustration on her face. "Talk."

"Okay!" The Stranger said, the happy sound of their voice contrasting the sadness in their eyes. "Your last life, you died before the two of you could meet, not only was it very traumatic, but your soul hadn't had a chance to rest in a hundred years." They grin, "But now, if you don't have any real questions about the whole life business, it's time for Annie to wake up-- believe it or not, you actually have to talk to each other to decide where you go."

"I'd rather not have you wake her up." Mikasa stated dryly.

The Stranger combed through Annie's hair, watching the sleeping girl for a moment. "Don't you want to know these things? Annie had no end to her questions, only stopping to ask them when the need to rest became too pressing."

"I don't need answers." She said, wrapping the scarf around her tighter. "I just need Eren." Her words were true, everything she had done, all the lives and monsters ended-- had been because she loved her brother so desperately that she had been willing to die for him, to go against everything she'd ever known. He had saved her, wrapped a scarf around her and asked her for nothing in return, only hoping that she would live, that she would fight. 

"Another constant." The Stranger mused. "He always wraps that scarf around you, don't you know? He always cares about you." They leaned forward, whispering conspiratorially, "Just like he always grows too big for his body, just like he learns to leave everyone behind." They winked, "Just like he always becomes consumed by his own desire for freedom, for justice, and righteous anger." Wind sings through the odd tree, pushing purple leaves from their branches and down into the meadow. "Do you still want to see him?" The Stranger whispers. "After everything, is he the only one with room in your heart?"

It isn't even a question. "Yes."

"I see." They lean down, averting their face from Mikasa's gaze. "Then do me a favor."

"What?" Mikasa asked, suddenly urgent.

"Don't loathe her." The Stranger pleaded. "Please, please don't hate her for what she had to do-- you don't have to care for her, don't even have to like her; just please _please_ don't despise her." They hastily wiped at their eyes, hiding a sniffle from Mikasa's point of view. "The line between hatred and anything else is a thin one, I know, and the mountain with a love infused peak has a slippery slope, believe me I _know_; I've lived with these feelings for a millennium. Do me this favor, Mikasa Ackerman, go into your new life with an open mind, and you will see your brother and know your love for him again."

Mikasa could hardly believe her ears. Is this what they wanted from her? Not to hate someone who had committed lived only to take Eren away from her, to take her brother from her life? She didn't know if she could, she didn't know if she wanted to. But, if she had any desire to see Eren again, she knew she had to try. "I will." Mikasa whispered, she would give it her all, she would fight to see Eren again.

"Good." The Stranger whispered. "Because it's time to choose."

When Annie wakes up, Mikasa can't find it in herself to look at her. 

"What's goin' on?" Annie mumbled, voice sounded more childlike than before. It takes her a moment to remember that the other girl had never been very good at waking up in the morning. Annie rubs at her eyes, white blonde hair falling down to the nape of her neck, The Stranger had accidentally undone her bun. When she rubs at her eyes, Mikasa wonders if this was how she looked waking up when she was young.

"It's time to find a new life, child." The Stranger soothes her, very gently rousing Annie from her slumber. "You're rest ends here, I'm afraid." They move their hands to the back of her bony shoulders, slowly prodding her upward. Mikasa watches Annie obey without much protest, still blinking away the sleep from her eyes.

"I feel more rested than I ever had before." Annie points out, flicking some hair out of her face. "Is this because I'm dead?" To anyone else, the way she talked about her own demise (bored and impassive) would have shocked them, but Mikasa (always expectant, hardly ever surprised) stayed silent, ignoring her in favor of thinking about what to say. 

"It's because the two of you are here, in your meadow." The Stranger revealed, "Usually you'd have a couple of days to breathe in between lives, but since you arrived at different times, I can only allow you a moment's rest." They smile, "Eren and Armin are sleeping right now, actually, they rather enjoy their little beach."

"A beach?" Mikasa interjected softly, an absentminded smile playing on her lips. "They'd like that, I think." She remembered the time spent near the ocean, and closed her eyes, momentarily losing herself in the softness of the brief, but happy memories spent there.

Annie stares at her for a moment, blue eyes widening slightly, as if she had just remembered everything that happened. She turned away after a moment, yawning into the palm of her hand. "That sounds nice." She admitted, turning to The Stranger. "Time to go then?"

"Yes." They whispered softly, placing a gentle hand on their shoulder. "Choose wisely."

"Annie." Mikasa started. 

She turned to face her. Their eyes met, and the sense of familiarity Mikasa felt when looking in them drowned her mercilessly. It choked her, suffocating her lungs and burning the back of her throat, overwhelming and infinite. _Oh_. She thought. _I know what to do now._

"Let me choose." Mikasa said, words slow, spoken with a sense of urgent steadiness that made everyone stop, moving as if frozen in amber. "_Annie_," She whispered again, "Let me choose."

For a horrible moment, she feared that Annie would refuse-- would laugh like she did moments before her imprisonment, high and the slightest bit insane. She would giggle, girlish and unsure, while Mikasa prepared her weapons, overwhelming dread making her movements hesitant and inexperienced. But then that moment ends, and Annie nodded, eyes curious but voice vacant and expressionless. 

"Thank you." Mikasa smiled, genuine.

Annie blinked, surprised, but looked away.

"Ready then?" The Stranger asked, not bothering to hide the curiosity in their voice. The flexed their dark brown fingers, and time seemed to still, the breeze disappeared and the flowers stopped dancing. They slashed their palm downwards, creating an ice blue rift in their reality. "Take a moment, if you need it, any word said from either of you from now on will influence where you _all_ of you end up."

Mikasa nodded, and looked Annie in the eye. She noticed that the portal was the same color as her eyes. 

"Stranger," She started, gazes locked with the other girl in front of her. "Take us to a place Annie Leonhardt will be happy."

Annie opened her mouth, in surprise or protest Mikasa would never know, because The Stranger had already shoved her into the rift. "That was smart." They whisper, tears in their eyes. "I hope it works, this time." 

Mikasa looked up at them, a question in her eyes as the wind began to pick up all around her. _Have I already asked for this?_ She wanted to know, but could not open her mouth and say anything. She knew that any word that escaped her was another spent on the new world she traveled to, another spent separating her from Eren, separating Annie from happiness. _Have I already asked for this?_

"I wish I could tell you, my child." The Stranger smiled, extending a hand for her to take. "But it is time for you to go."

Mikasa took her hand for a moment, squeezing it. She let go, back to the portal, and flicked The Stranger on the nose. _Got you._ She wants to say, but found that she was already falling in.

In another place, two children are born, and the cycle begins again.


End file.
